The Highwayman
by Beary Allen
Summary: The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding— - The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes


The music pulsed to a heavy beat that seemed incredibly appropriate for the darkened interior of the bar. Heavily red and dark in all the right places to be incredibly cliché, the place screamed 'dark and dangerous' in the sort of way that appealed to tourists. If it wasn't for the fact that the place was filled with vampires, it wouldn't be dark and dangerous in the real sense. No, the building itself was nearly sickening in the way that it was just so cheesy. Or at least it was in her opinion.

Then again, she wasn't nearly as drunk as she could have been, otherwise she wouldn't be sitting in the corner at one of those high waisted tables nursing a rum and coke while glaring at her friends who were all drunk. Yes, the woman was that sort of person. The one who sat in the corner and didn't participate in any of the fun, didn't allow herself to get hammered and rub herself all over whatever available person might be dancing close enough to her.

Truth was, the woman had no interest in getting shit-faced in a god damn vampire bar.

In fact the brunette wasn't exactly that crazy about being in the bar at all. Unfortunately for her, one of her friends had just turned twenty-four and had gotten it into her head that she was going to drink at a vampire bar. And maybe even pick up a vampire. Why? Well, she had no clue. The best that the brunette could figure out, Alice wanted something to mix up her mundane life. After all the girl had been pretty much a virgin when they had met.

"Jackie! Hey, Jackie, why don't you do a shot with me?" Speak of the devil, Jaclyn thought as the perky red-head came bounding over to her. Sloshing her drink all over herself as she did so yet much too drunk to really care about it. She reeked of alcohol and sweat. "C'mon, don't be such a party pooper." Jaclyn found her eyes rolling at that one as she pushed off of the table and reached a slim fingered hand out to rest on the other girl's forearm. Steadying the wobbling woman. "How about we get you a glass of water and you sit down for a bit hm?"

Her suggestion was met with a snort of laughter, the other girl fixing her with what should have been a glowering look but instead came off as a half eye-roll and some slurring. "No, nope, no, I gotta go back to the dance floor. I think I've found _someone_ out there." The girl giggled and Jaclyn tried hard to repress the deep frown that threatened to curl her lips downwards. God damn it, why did she agree to do this? The woman knew she'd not only end up as designated driver but as babysitter too due to the fact she refused to let her wits slink away along with her ambition through the effects of alcohol.

That someone that Alice referred to led Jaclyn to believe that Alice had found herself a little vampire friend. God, why did the girl think it was okay to get stupid in a place full of creatures that wanted to kill them? Now, Jaclyn wasn't a die-hard 'they all have to die' sort, but she wasn't dumb. It was nature for vampires to feed on humans. Jaclyn had always been a skeptical person, in this she was no different. "Alice, I think you should sit down and drink some water okay? I'll go find Danielle. We should think about going home now." Jaclyn spoke firmly, getting up from her spot to grasp the other girl firmly by the forearms and directing her to take Jaclyn's spot. Alice huffed, settling down on the seat and taking a long drink of her beverage.

Great.

"I don't _want_ to go home Jackie, I want to stay here. With _him_ " The girl grinned as her green eyes darted past Jaclyn to peer at someone in the crowd. Jackie's head turned to peer into the crowd, noting a tall man smirking their way. No doubt listening to the conversation and waiting for Alice' less drunk friend to get out of the way before he would sink his teeth in. Probably quite literally. "No, you stay here. You told me you'd listen to me when I said it was time to go, remember?" The brunette said forcefully, leaning in close so the woman would hear her. Instead of saying something in retort to Jackie's words, Alice remained quiet and nursed her drink. Though her eyes remained trained on the man in the crowd. Fucking fantastic.

After the woman was sure that Alice would remain at the table instead of trying to run off to that vampire man eyeing her like a piece of steak, she turned to the crowd and let her gaze shift among the people. The woman started her way through the crowd, careful to slip herself between the dancing figures with as minimal contact as possible. A wandering hand tried to sneak its way around her waist, brown eyes snapping to the grinning face behind her as she shoved with one hand. For a moment it appeared the man wasn't going to let her go, but eventually his fingers slid from the fabric of her silken shirt and left her to find someone else. Someone more willing.

It took several more moments of shifting through the crowd before Jaclyn managed to spot her second friend. Jackie spotted the dirty blond hair done up in big curls, falling down her shoulders before she noticed where the girl was. It seemed a line had formed in front of what looked like a raised platform on which sat a chair that could only be described as a throne. Sitting on that throne was a man that she could not deny was downright attractive. In a sort of dangerous, I'll eat you alive, sort of way. Appealing as all hell, but Jaclyn wasn't ruled by her baser needs. Unlike a certain drunk friend who was trying to stumble up to the stage and catch the attention of those icy blue eyes.

Jaclyn didn't have any idea who the blond man was, but she did not want to find out. Something about him made her nervous. Jaclyn managed to intercept Danielle before the girl could quite clamber up the steps of the stage, a hand wrapping around the girl's arm and tugging her close. "Danielle, Alice and I are ready to go home." She spoke firmly, eyes sliding briefly from the girl to the man on the dais. Only to freeze when she found that his intense gaze had focused upon her and her friend. For a moment she could only stop, staring at him as if she were a deer caught in headlights.

His eyes were so blue, so intense, as they stared down at her. His face remained impassive, lips drawn into what she thought was a disinterested grimace. Even with that bored expression on his face she still found the man incredibly handsome. Dangerously so. She stared for perhaps a fraction too long before rationality pushed forth and she was turning Danielle away.

She managed to resist the urge to peer back at the man as she dragged the drunken girl away from the little stage and the man on the throne. There was still an uncomfortable feeling within her gut that left her with nothing more than the desire to collect her drunk friends and get the hell out of that place. After a lot of tugging, some bumping into several dancing people, and lots of shouting back and forth between herself and a drunken Danielle, Jaclyn was able to get the woman back to the table. With a sigh of relief she noted that Alice was still there on the stool. Finishing off Jaclyn's drink, but still there none-the-less.

"Okay, come on girls, it's time to go home." Jaclyn ran a hand through her dark brown hair, trying to pry the drink from Alice' hand with her free one. "No, no, we gotta stay Jackie, we're having _so_ much _fun_!" Danielle exaggerated, her tone nearly belligerent. It never failed that the dark-haired woman would try to pick a fight about leaving when Jaclyn put her foot down. If Danielle liked anything, it was starting drama that she could star in. Lately, it had been getting to be incredibly annoying and incredibly petty. Why she felt the need to constantly defy Jaclyn after agreeing to her terms, Jackie would never know. Alice, thank god, had dutifully gotten up from her spot, hands grasping at Jaclyn's shoulder as she leaned heavily against her friend in an attempt to stagger to her feet. "Look, Alice is ready to go too. I'll leave your sorry ass here if I have too." The woman threatened, her eyes narrowing. Her patience for Danielle's bitchy nature was coming to a quick end, and she wasn't about to fall into Danielle's little trap. If Danielle wanted to get into a screaming match with someone in the middle of a crowded club, that was her deal. But Jaclyn knew her too well for this bullshit.

"I'll stay then, I don't need you carting me around." Danielle nearly hissed at her. God, she was a terrible drunk. Jaclyn rolled her eyes and proceeded towards the exit. She knew Danielle would end up falling in step behind her and Alice, but just to make sure after a few steps Jaclyn looked pack to peer at the other girl. Brown eyes settled on Danielle for a moment before another blonde caught her attention. Brows furrowed as she stopped, uncertainty tainting her features.

"Sookie?" She spoke to no one really, though Danielle gave her a puzzled look and Alice started mumbling something about finding a bathroom. Before Jaclyn could figure out if it really was Sookie she was seeing up on that stage with that blonde god and another dark-haired man, all hell seemed to break lose. Someone yelled 'raid' and nearly everyone seemed to lose their mind. Jaclyn curled an arm around Alice' waist and grasped Danielle by the wrist and started to drag the pair to the door. People closed in on the small opening, but the trio had the advantage of being close.

Jaclyn shoved Alice through first before pulling Danielle out of the door, though the out pouring of people causes her to lose grip first on Danielle, and then on Alice. Frustration curls deep within her belly as she tries to shove through the fleeing people, though she's unknowingly being pushed further away from the pair. Somehow Jaclyn ends up a block down from the bar in her attempt to find her friends. "Alice! Danielle!" She calls out, frustration lacing her tone as she spins around in an attempt to spy one or the other. Of course, she can't, and she's faced with the idea to walk back to the club or make her way back home in hopes that one or the other would be smart enough to make a move that way.

Brushing thick strands of dark hair out of her face, her lips curled down into a frown as she found herself turning back to the club. She couldn't take a chance that the two drunk girls had tried to go back inside. Just as she was about to step forward a hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her backwards into a thick chest. Before she could even blink she found herself pulled into an alleyway, being spun around and pushed up harshly against a firm building. She gasped, wheezing out the breath that was taken from her lungs before her eyes tried vainly to adjust to the dimness of the alleyway. "Hey pretty lady, do you need some help?" Salacious tones caused her heart to quicken within the confines of her chest. She recognized him, the man who was so eagerly staring down her and Alice after she pulled the girl from the dance floor.

He pushed her up against the wall further, a hand lifting to brush away hair from her neck and she panicked. Jaclyn's eyes closed as she found herself pushing outward's with her hands, gritting her teeth as they collided with the man's chest. A sort of warmth filtered from her shoulders, down her biceps and into her hands as her eyes snapped open and the man was pushed back just a few inches. His face contorted in confusion before there was a swift clicking sound and Jaclyn's breath caught in her throat. He snarled at her, fangs showing, and she lost her concentration. Whatever had pushed him back those precious few inches was gone in an instant.

She cried out, trying to shield her neck as the man pounced in eagerness to regain the few inches he'd lost. Brown eyes closed as she expected some sort of pain to rip through her neck as his teeth sunk in. Instead, there was a strangled cry and her eyes snapped open. At first she didn't quite understand what was going on, but then she found herself realizing that she was staring not into the darkness of the alleyway, but into the blackness of a leather coat. Her head tipped back and she saw broad shoulders with thick, silky locks of blond hair brushing against the coat.

"I would highly suggest you find something else to feed on tonight." A deep voice drawled out, the tone bored and Jaclyn could almost see the expression to match. She didn't see the other man leave, too quick was his departure, and she was far too distracted as her apparent savior turned around and fixed her with an intensely bored expression. Sharp blue eyes stared down at her, towering over her nearly a foot and she felt infinitely smaller standing next to him. It was the man from the bar, the one that had sat on the throne, the one that had been talking to Sookie.

 _What the hell did he want?_

"What a curious little thing I've stumbled upon." He drawled out, one arm reaching out to plant on the wall next to Jaclyn's head, leaving her feeling incredibly caged. "Now, I wonder, what are you?"


End file.
